A Journey into Fine Work: PieceWork Fall 2018

Embark with us on a PieceWork journey that celebrates “fine work.” We travel the globe and present examples of especially fine embroidery, knitting, needlepoint, and crochet. In trying to describe the textiles shown in this issue, the words “intricate” and “exquisite” seem, at best, inadequate.

Your journey begins with the example shown here, which was cross-stitched by a Miao woman in the Guizhou province of China. The stitches are so tiny, they are almost imperceptible. This piece is from the collection of Linda Ligon, the founder of Interweave. Thank you, Linda, for allowing us to borrow it. The Miao tradition of embroidery is long—spanning centuries upon centuries to the present—and storied.

PieceWork Fall 2018. Cover photo by George Boe.

As our cover states, a significant quest is currently going on in the needlework world and you are cordially invited to join. In “Finding a Fitting Fleece for Fulling,” Jane Malcolm-Davies relates the story behind the Knitting in Early Modern Europe (KEME) project, and she outlines how you can become involved in knitting and fulling “swircles”! This effort is a testament to the need to preserve the legacy of needlework. We will continue to follow this important project, keeping you updated both in the pages of the magazine and on the PieceWork blog.

Thank you for going on our “fine work” journey with us. What you will see within these pages is simply astounding, and we hope the work delights and inspires you.

Katrina King’s “Wandering Paths Stole to Knit” is featured in the Fall 2018 issue of PieceWork. Photo by George Boe.

Effective with this issue, PieceWork will be published quarterly—Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. This will open up opportunities that just weren’t available on our previous bimonthly schedule. And the best news is that we will be adding editorial pages to each issue! I am looking forward to this new chapter in PieceWork’s history (the words “more pages” are music to my ears!).

—Jeane

Featured Image: Miao embroidery from the collection of Linda Ligon. Photo by George Boe.